In the three years since the former Victorian government began deploying protective services officers on the state's rail network, the uniformed men and women have become a familiar – and comforting – sight at city, suburban and some country stations.
Working the evening shift, members of the Transit Safety Division are generally on duty from 6pm until the last train and, although much of the initial reaction to their rollout focused on their being armed and empowered to arrest, most of the work has proved far less confrontational.
Ben Broadway, who works on the eastern suburbs Belgrave and Lilydale lines, finds the customer service skills he developed in his former retail career useful in dealing with passengers and any travellers who misbehave.
"Communication and customer service skills help in this job. We need to be approachable and able to deal with all kinds of people." The officers undertake 12 weeks of paid training with an emphasis on building rapport with the travelling public and ensuring travellers feel safe on stations and in their car parks and surrounds. During their first three months they are accompanied by a police officer.
"There's always plenty to do," Broadway says. "We're able to offer to walk people to their cars if they need it and stay with people who are waiting to be picked up. We get a really positive response. People are happy to see us."
The officers are trained to assist people with obvious mental disorders and to deal with anti- social behaviour.
"We don't let anything get out of control ... If someone gets off a train and tells us there are kids being a nuisance, we tell [the kids] to quieten down and be respectful and they normally do." Catching people doing graffiti, and removing alcohol from people drinking on trains can also be in a typical evening's work. If someone is really out of line, police are called.
Victoria Police says 940 protective services officers now work on the transport system and almost another 100 will be deployed before the end of this year. Many come from retail, hospitality and customer-service backgrounds but some have opted for a significant career change.
Broadway's colleagues include a civil engineer, a bilingual interpreter, Country Fire Authority volunteers, fitness instructors, tradespeople and drivers aged from 18 to 60-plus. His own long-term goal is to join the police and, although protective services officers can apply through the normal process, a training program designed to help transition to police duties is being trialled.
Broadway – who looks after his young son during the day – emphasises that he is not just filling in time: "I really enjoy the work. I like the variety and the contact with the public." More info: http://www.policecareer.vic.gov.au/pso
